(1) The document reflects on a semester course called Seminar in Scientific Literature that helped students develop skills needed to become successful scientists. (2) During the course, students gained interview experience by practicing with peers and professors, attended seminars to learn techniques and knowledge from speakers, and received mentoring from recruiters. (3) Students were trained in writing statements, CVs, bibliographies, paraphrasing, and writing to prepare for opportunities like research programs in the United States.

1. Reflection, Fall 2013
As a young scientist, the different perspectives people have towards a certain
topic have always captivated me. Weather it is research or an opinion toward your
research. Listening to someone else’s research is just as important as presenting
your research. With this in mind, I compared my semester in the Seminar in
Scientific Literature with the thought I had about listening.
During the semester we experienced different workshops that contribute to
our making of successful scientists. Some were beginners in the interview process;
therefore we gained more experience by practicing interviews with our peers, and
later on our professors.
We got to attend many seminars from which we all learned vast amounts of
techniques and knowledge. We got to meet the speakers of the seminars as a group
and discuss the research being held. These speakers also served us as mentors for
when we were curious about career paths. Some of these speakers were recruiters
for their university’s summer research program. They came to interview interested
students in order to give them an opportunity to do research in the United States.
To be able to do this, students were first trained and taught the interview
process. Also we were given workshops on how to write a personal statement,
curriculum vitae, annotated bibliographies, paraphrasing and a scientific writing.
With the help of this course and the RISE program, I have grown as a young
scientist. Expanding knowledge, networking, and presenting a review paper are all
part of the journey in order to become a future scientist. Seeing my peers present,

2. an presenting to them is an wonderful experience. Sharing thoughts and questions,
looking deep at the way everyone organized they’re thoughts in a different matter
was simply overwhelming.